currently: listening to The Wire by David Dallas feat. Ruby Frost
In this little corner of Britomart, hidden away between a shoe shop and a restaurant, is a simple black door and window. It doesn't call your name, doesn't boast a large sign, and you'd probably walk past it without even realising. But just behind that simple black door is a little restaurant that becomes the Alice in Wonderland of desserts. It's not a big place, but that doesn't compromise on its massive tastes.

Call it timing, call it luck, call it a rainy day on Wednesday night; but Anne-Marie and I managed to get ourselves a table the dessert-only restaurant that seats maybe 15 people in total. As the waiter showed us to a table, Anne-Marie excitedly whispers to me 'I've never been able to get in before!"

Tucked away in a room above Victoria Street East is one of the most festively decorated restaurants in Auckland. Coloured with streamers, piñatas and a beautiful wall mosaic is a place simply called The Mexican Cafe.

While I've never travelled to Mexico in my life, I imagine that The Mexican Cafe just encompassed almost everything Mexican you can imagine, gathered into one room and exploded onto the walls. From the cactus beer tap to the 30th birthday banner, it feels a bit cheesy sitting amongst the Mexican knick knacks, but in a fun, colourful way. It's a place with character, and has had many good evenings in its time.

(Google+ made this image auto-twinkle for some reason.)

It's not too packed as Darryl and I are welcomed in and seated at a table for two beside this stunning mosaic. The waitress is quick to hand us a bowl of free corn chips and salsa as we pondered over the menu, which was welcomed since it was 2pm and it was really hot outside.

I like food. I really like food. And for quite a few years, Taste of Auckland has been on my bucket list of things to try. What better time to go than to see the event's 5th anniversary?

Taste of Auckland is a curious festival in general. I debated for the if I wanted to go and who I could go with, because Taste of Auckland is not a cheap place to visit. It requires a $25 entry fee (or $30 if you pay at the gate, and then requires more money on top of that if you want to buy an actual meal/serving/drink instead of living off lots of tiny taste testers. Most people who have gone before say it's not worth it most of the time, and then my close friends (majority students) can't really afford events like that.

But this year, I received a free pass to the event from some magazine, and pretty much decided at 5.15pm yesterday that I was going to go - even if it was for half an hour. I ended up staying till closing time.

I need to tell the truth. I'm not the biggest Beyonce fan around, and I at first didn't think about going to her concert. I enjoyed the excitement of her NZ tour announcement, but I felt the price was just way too steep for me. The cheapest/worst view tickets were around $110, while the quality seat prices jumped towards the $260 mark. Could I really spend that much on a ticket?

Auckland is a beautiful city, but it does have its problems. Our public transport system needs some fixing, parking in the city is expensive, and it's hard to tell what the best froyo place in Auckland is, especially when you have a new froyo place opening every month.

So I've made it a Food Tour Party mission (in other words, my goal) to look for the best froyo place in Auckland; because it's important to know the great from the gunky. (Also, my mission to find the best ice cream place in Auckland was easily won by Giapo on Queen Street).

Close to my work is a Ponsonby branch of Yoghurt Story, which only opened up last month. During lunch yesterday, some of my workmates were talking about what they thought the best yoghurt place was, and some of them suggested Yoghurt Story. And, well with a bit of convincing from my workmate, we made a quick trip to Yoghurt Story after lunch.

So, ignore the fact that it's actually been a week (or a few) since New Zealand Fashion Week finished. All the photos below were taken at the NZFW13 Designer Showcase Wednesday night. For my best friend and I, we've been going to this show every NZFW Weekend since 2010. But of course with the change to the Designer Selection Showcase to be only a weekday show, I was a bit less organised with getting a front row seat. Second row had to do this time, but thankfully the venue (The Shed) wasn't too big.

What originally started off well, with the thought I'd be able to write blogs on time (for once!) ended up missing the mark due to a cold I've caught, somewhere between Auckland's bipolar summer/winter weather, the late night at Wednesday's Designer Showcase, and bus rides with people who don't cover their mouth. Colds can be the worst - tearing down my energy and my body's will to stay motivated and write. I've still yet to catch up with the NZ Anberlin concert, Food Tour Party posts, and I'm just going to ignore all the movies I had seen recently and planned to review...

Anyway, I'm going to momentarily skip talking about Designer Showcase and instead talk about the Miromoda show I went to see on Friday afternoon. If you don't know what Miromoda is about, it's a showcase dedicated to indigenous fashion design. This year they showcased nine different designers, with a mix of the established and up-and-coming.

It's NZFW people! Back for 2013 and a bit more difficult to get to when you're in full-time work.

Unlike last year, where I had the most amazing all-show/every-show experience, I had pretty much resigned to the fact that I would never have that again (at least not any time soon). But instead I would attempt to watch every single fashion show online, and follow my tradition of attending the weekend's Designer Showcase. Things have panned out differently than I thought though, with the axe of weekend Designer Showcases (WHY), but the advantage of working for a company that is connected to NZFW. So I shouldn't complain, I have been very blessed, and there will be fashion to talk about.

Anyway, tonight at very last minute, I got offered a ticket from work to see the Hailwood collection show. I pretty much raced down there from work, paid an unreasonably costly taxi ride while doing so, and headed in for the 5.30pm show. If you want to see a poor summary of the Hailwood collection, watch my poorly filmed Instagram video below: (Otherwise just watch the legit 3 News version).

This year the MTV VMAs were all about the Katy Perry vs Lady Gaga song showdown, the rumoured *NSYNC reunion, and of course what nutty thing Miley would wear as she progresses into Queen of the White Trash clan. But let's start with the red carpet.

Best Matching Couple:

Grimes and 2 Chains. Nothing says totes adorbs like being caught in the exact same Versace pants. Made for each other.
Oh and look! Grimes is wearing a chain around her neck! Perfect.

The following blog post was actually written while on a plane two weeks ago. I've been a bit hesitant about sharing this because it does involve my work life - but this trip was too good to not share.currently: sitting in seat 35D eating an ice cream.

I come to you writing this somewhere 35,000 ft above the Pacific Ocean, between Fiji and New Zealand. This trip probably came as a surprise to a lot of my friends as I barely mentioned what I was doing (in fear I would jinx everything), but it has been the most exciting 24 hours that I've had in a long time.

If you didn't know, I work for a radio station working as an online editor. I get to work with a great group of people, who have amazing ideas and personalities, in the entertaining and fun online and radio industry. I write, I video, I photograph, I design - I love my job!

It was almost half a month ago when I got asked if I wanted to create a video for a massive promotion we were running called Mid-Air Matrimony with Fiji Airways. It was all about five couples getting married in the sky, and long story short - they put me on a plane to Fiji to film the ceremony.

currently: listening to Benny Tipene's new single, 'Walking on Water' which is AMAZING. Get it from iTunes.

Source: Rekorderlig NZ Facebook Page

So amongst the busiest month of my working life, I turned 22 last Saturday. And as a celebration of my birthday, a couple of university friends and I went to the Rekorderlig Winter Lights. A two weekend event in Auckland's CBD hosted by Rekorderlig cider...well I had to go. I love winter, I love cider, and in particular Rekorderlig cider.

It was only 5pm on a Thursday night and we (Renee from Musical Musings, and Anne-Marie from iammfashion) found ourselves stuck in a line outside this small boxed venue on Shortland Street. We waited behind 20 people, and saw as others decided to jump out of the queue or get into the venue. 'Can't take that long' I thought.

The problem with the Rekorderlig Winter Lights was that because it was a small venue, there were only a limited amount of people allowed in. We stood outside for a good 20-25 minutes before we managed to get into the venue, with much relief. We thought we couldn't wait any longer than that. It turned out to be wrong, as others stood in line for over half an hour waiting to get in.

When you walked into the venue, the welcoming smell of pine trees and (what a Kiwi can expect to be) a winter Christmas filled your nose and head. It was like you walked into a little forest, with fake snow flakes raining down on you. Anne-Marie showed us that we could even wear fake fur jackets if we felt the need to be festive (and extra warm.)

I've spent over a year celebrating the 21sts of my good friends. It was a time where every Friday or Saturday had a shindig with speeches, shots, slideshows and super good times.

21sts can be one of the most memorable events in a young adult life. Forget your high school ball, the beauty of a 21st is that you are in the centre of all attention, surrounded by the friends and family that support you. Everyone shares their best (or not so best) memories, and are of course reminded of how worthy a person you are.

But of course heaps go into making a 21st such a special event. And after tens of 21st parties, I decided to create a list of the 21 things I've learned from the 21st season.

I have a list of things on my bucket list. One is to go to New York Fashion Week with my best friend, another is to get into the photographer's pit at a concert. But what I most recently completed on my bucket list is taking part in my first NZ 48 Hour Film Festival.

What is the 48 Hour Film Festival you ask?
It's a weekend of furious filmmaking. You write, shoot, edit the most brilliant piece of work you can think of possible (with set special requirements), all in the space of 48 hours. Some make it, some don't. And when you don't, it makes you want to cry on the inside.

For a long time (or at least for a few years) I've always wanted to take part in 48 Hour. And the opportunity has presented itself a couple times, but of course beloved media communication assignments would always take priority. Now, my first year out of uni and into full-time work, I could finally answer yes to 48 Hours.

My team this year consisted of a misfit selection of co-workers and their friends, my good friend/iammfashion blogger AM as producer, and some assistance/driving skills from one amazing boyfriend. I will say we weren't prepared like other teams with high quality equipment and sound and editing desktop computers. But we were a team of somewhat skilled media industry people with enthusiasm to make a film. These are the details of those 48 Hours.

So it finally happened, the first episode of Go Girls season 5.
And you know what? It was pretty good.

Now before you mount on your high horses of hate and share your hurt feelings, yes I am still a bit miffed about the fact the entire cast is changed. There are situations that have still yet to be resolved with the original cast.

BUT, after watching this first episode, this brand new cast is quite nice to have.

Well Jason, can I just say you personally made my week, maybe my month, and neither of these are even over yet. Never have I received an email from a music company to review an unreleased album, and never has it been from one of my FAVOURITE artists ever. So I am beyond honoured that you emailed me, a little blogger from New Zealand, and shared the Siberia Acoustic album with me. Thank you!

So with that, I bring to you a review of Lights - 'Siberia Acoustic'.

Some people think of acoustic albums as a music marketing ploy; like a cheaper way of releasing a brand new album but with less work. After all, an acoustic album only requires an artist to play the same songs again with an acoustic guitar. No need to hire a dude to play drums, no need to spend hours producing.

But acoustic albums should be more than just a lack of instruments. There are acoustic albums which, when wearing a good pair of headphones, take you away to a quiet place. Acoustic albums are meant to bring you a feeling of intimacy, with the rawness of a voice and the breath of each word.

Anne-Marie: "Are you gonna blog about eating at Carl's Jr?"Me: "Yes, yes I am." [May as well blog about something...]

This weekend, me and my friend/the AM in iammfashion, Anne-Marie, got to have a nice hangout in Auckland city. We went to our old university AUT, checked out the new fancy WG building, cried on the inside about missing the flash Communications building by a year, and then headed to Carl's Jr for lunch.

A couple of my friends love Carl's Jr. In Auckland, they've got two locations out west, two south, two east and one in the CBD. So, being a northern Aucklander I've yet to taste how "amazing" they were till Saturday.

Carl's Jr opened about a month ago in the Queen Street Metro, pretty much beside the Burger King I dedicated a good portion of my student loan to. The old building used to be a Whitcoulls book store, which I also spent many an hour reading their magazines for free. It felt a bit weird to walk into a familiar space to smell burgers and feel a bit greasy. Also, the layout there means you need to take long routes around the seats because it's not a nice even arrangement. The room is pretty much divided lengthways with a long stream of couches making it a pain to get directly to the counter. But it was a nice and relatively cleaning looking.

currently: sick day at home and I can't sleep. So blogging is perfect.

Last week was a massively busy week for me. Monday I met with my friends to watch the season four opening of My Kitchen Rules, Wednesday was netball, Thursday was watching Django Unchained, Friday was Lantern Festival, and Saturday was my first ever More FM Summer Vineyard event at Turanga Creek in Auckland. Never have I been to a vineyard, never have I been to a festival, and never had I seen these acts perform live on stage. It was a collection of first for me, and my boyfriend who had never been to a concert in New Zealand.

On Friday night, Boyfriend and I went to the first night of the Auckland Lantern Festival at Albert Park. Ever since we've started dating, we've always attended the Lantern Festival together. We eat, we photograph and we walk around the lanterns. And this year, it was no different.

I declare Gotye and Kimbra as Grammy 2013's most adorable photogenic couple.

My most awaited awards ceremony was significantly hampered by the new dress code set by the Grammys this year.

"Please be sure that buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered. Thong type costumes are problematic. Please avoid exposing bare fleshy under curves of the buttocks and buttock crack. Bare sides or under curvature of the breasts is also problematic. Please avoid sheer see-through clothing that could possibly expose female breast nipples. Please be sure the genital region is adequately covered so that there is no visible 'puffy' bare skin exposure."

Boo, no whore.

While I personally don't enjoy "assets" being flashed about in every day life, I feel the Grammys are one of the few places where it's acceptable. It's the combination of art, class and music that just calls for daring and extreme fashion (take a look at last year's extreme fashions for example). If you can't bring it at the Grammys, where can you bring it?

So despite the mediocre excitement of the Grammy fashion, here's my rundown of who shined, and who dressed blind.

It only took one short froyo trip, but my friends and I were instantly hooked on it. We wanted more. More of that sweet, cold, delicious goodness in a cup. Filled with lollies and toppings of our hearts desire. Frozen self-serve yoghurt, how we fell for thee.

And this is how we strolled to Frolik Browns Bay.

The Poor Man's Takapuna, but with lots of dogs.

Browns Bay on Auckland's North Shore has one of the nicest townships suburbs in Auckland. It's quaint, it's authentic, and filled with lovely people. Essentially, it's like the poor man's Takapuna, but with less designer and more thrifty character.

After a lot of consideration and internal debate, I decided to buy my own domain. Why you may ask? Well this blog has been my internet home for the past four years, and much like the idea of renting vs buying a home, I wanted this to officially be claimed by me (but still hosted on Blogspot of course, cause I'm too lazy to find a new CMS).

Working for the past few months has been fabulous and fun, but it did also set a goal in me to establish more of my own writing identity. Sure I love writing web articles at work and I get satisfaction out of it, but it would still be nice to have some credit in my own name and not someone else's.

So for this year, I have officially bought this domain name, and now we forge on with the hope of more posts and more (somewhat) entertaining stories.

:)

(On a side note, can I say - setting up a domain, not exactly easy. It involves a lot of patience.)

Yogg (or stylised as YÖGG) is one of the newer self-serve yoghurt places that have been popping up around Auckland for the past year or so. Opened in July last year, it has had to compete with the likes of the original and well-established Mission Bay KiwiYo (which I have yet made a trip to). Compare the Facebook likes between KiwiYo and Yogg, and you can clearly see who's the stronger store.

It was a whim decision (and influenced by 'Two for One' Yogg vouchers) that my two best mates and I took a long drive to Mission Bay. Probably not the smartest move to go at 1pm on the first Saturday of 2013 because it was crazy busy. Half an hour of driving, and 10 minutes of circling Mission Bay shops before we settled for one 10-minute parking spot outside of the Pharmacy.

It was hot. We wanted our Yogg.

So while the impromptu Food Tour Party was brief, we attempted to get as much out of the experience as possible.

The girl.

NZ blogger in the middle of life, love, the world and all that inhabits it. A web addict for radio by day; a web addict in general by night. Writing about the world, travels, food, pop culture and lifestyle.